Cuba town New York: Encyclopedia II - Cuba town New York - History business and points of interest

Cuba town New York - History business and points of interest

The Town of Cuba was formed in 1850 from part of the Town of Friendship. In 1830, Cuba was reduced by the formation of the Town of Genesee. In 1835, Cuba was partitioned again to form the Town of Clarksville.

Formerly known as Township 3 Range 2 of the Holland Land Purchase, the settlement of Cuba began in 1817, though the town was not first organized until 1822 and not established until 1850. Between 1810 to the late 1820's the town saw a boom in both settlement and population as many of the town's first businesses, churches and schools were established.

North of the town lies Cuba Lake. Originally constructed as a reservoir for the Genesee Valley Canal in 1858, Cuba Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world at the time. Today it mainly serves as a source of recreation for locals as the lake is surrounded by homes and cottages, many of which are inhabited year-round.

At the spillway end of Cuba Lake sits the Oil Springs Reservation. It was here in 1627 that the first documentation of oil in North America was noted by Franciscan Missionary Joseph De La Roche D'Allion. In 1927, the New York State Oil Producers Association sponsored the dedication of a monument at the site describing the history of the oil industry in North America.

Image:Seneca Oil Spring.jpg

Along with neighboring Friendship, New York, which houses Friendship Dairies, Cuba has been a top producer of dairy products since the late 1800s. In the early 1900s, Cuba was known as the 'Cheese Capital of the World'. Today, it is home to the Empire Cheese Factory located on Haskell Road in the south end of Cuba. Empire Cheese is one of the town's top employers. Cuba is also the home of the world renowned Cuba Cheese Shoppe. Located on Genesee Street, the Cuba Cheese Shoppe serves as a retail outlet for many types of cheeses and dairy products. Cuba Cheese has won several awards and is known as one of the top producers of New York State Cheddar. Every year during the first week of June the town hosts Cuba Dairy Week. Cuba is also home to Farnsworth Cookies and many other local businesses.

Cuba is also home to what the locals refer to as the Block Barn on Route 305 just past the Conrail overpass south of the Historic District. Constructed in 1909, this structure, which is made almost entirely of cement, spans nearly 350 feet long and is completely fireproof. It was built to house William Simpson's "McKinney" horses. It has been a popular stable and it was said to have housed horses for the Czar of Russia and once was considered by the Anheuser Busch company as a spot to house its famous Clydesdales.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History business and points of interest", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki